...but today we're going to dwell just a BIT.  Here's the round up for my Harry Potter series.  I had so much fun doing this one.  Harry Potter is something that's very dear to my heart. :)  I wanted to do this round up like the one for the LOST series by showing you all my favorite mani from the other girls, but unfortunately there aren't seven to choose from! :(  So instead I'm going to show you my favorite mani's from Debbie and Kerrie. :) Then, just for fun I'll show you which one was my personal favorite of my own! :P  Here we go...

From Kerrie...

These were for The Half Blood Prince.  I really loved that Kerrie chose to do a newspaper mani! This is something I've been wanting to try for a long time but haven't gotten around to. I know Kerrie's intention was to display the potions book Harry got which had once belonged to Professor Snape, but I loved too that it really summed up my thoughts on the book: A LOT OF WORDS. Lol...

And from the lovely Debbie...

OK I really tried but I could NOT choose just one of Debbie's mani's!  So I'm showing you two!  First we have her Sorcerer's Stone nails. She really started this challenge with a bang!

 I can't get over how PERFECT her 9 3/4 nail is.  And the middle...I know it doesn't REALLY look like what it's meant to (the wall leading into Diagon Alley) but it just looks SO interesting.  I love, love, love these.  Then I also really loved her nails for the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is fitting since it's my favorite book!

I love needle marbling anyway and Debbie ROCKED. THIS. OUT.  You get dementors from it right away but it also just looks darn cool.  (You can also check out Baby Crumpet's version!) I like the black on blue and the way they sort of 'float' through her nails.  Very cool!

What was my favorite of my mani's?  

The Marauder's Map!!  These came out so much better than I had planned them.  And let's face it, I seriously WANT this map.  I could do so many things with it!  

Well that's the round up!!  I have another rehab post planned for very soon but I'm stating my job as a nail tech this week so things may get hectic!! I can't wait to share with you all the tips and tricks I learn in the field!  Thanks for following!

OK, so here we are at book seven.  The Deathly Hallows was a HUGE book.  Not only was it huge but it also contained TONS of information and that made it incredibly difficult to choose art for this mani!  I originally had this epic idea to do a scene over the top of the nails and then run a different theme through the bottom. Unfortunately, I kind of hated it at the end.  Since I'm a trooper...I have included it anyway at the bottom of this blog. Let's face it, sometimes art doesn't work the way we want it to and besides that, when will I ever use it if not now?!  What I chose to do for this mani was some of what I felt were the more important theme's.  The pinky is to represent Fleur's wedding dress (which, btw was modeled after a GORGEOUS McQueen gown!).  It seems like a throwaway but I felt that not only was it the only real happy spot in a book of incredible depression, but it also provided a place for Harry and his friends to gain a lot of information which helped them later with their search for horcruxes.  The thumb for example: the symbol for the deathly hallows.  It was in a book which is given to Hermione while they are waiting for the wedding to take place.  It is also spotted on Luna Lovegood's father's necklace AT the wedding.  Also given to the friends?  The middle nail: Ron's deluminator.  I chose to do his deluminator because it was once Dumbledore's and because it helped him to return to Harry and Hermione and I felt like the bonds of friendship were very important in this book.  The ring finger of course is Dobby's grave.  Then for the index I went for sort of a double design.  The background is representative of Nagini, thought to be the final horcrux.  The foreground is Harry's glasses, which fell to the ground after it was discovered that, in fact, HE was the final horcrux.  On a totally side note: did anyone get a Lord of the Rings vibe during this book?  The necklace reminded me so much of the ring which also was trusted to someone to be destroyed and which had a strong emotional pull on who ever wore it.  Also, they started out sort of as a team and slowly dwindled into just two.  Though in this book they reunite rather than remaining separate.  Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this series! I had so much fun doing it! If you want to see my hideous round one nails...keep scrolling past the color list!!

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

You can still check out yesterday's post as well: The Half Blood Prince!

Colors used: 

Thumb: Essence Midnight Date, Barry M Gold Foil

Index: China Glaze It's Alive, Revlon Black Lingerie
Middle: China Glaze Stone Cold, Barry M Bronze, Catrice Miss Money Penny

Ring: Essence The Dawn is Broken, Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black

Pinky: Revlon White on White and Black Lingerie

And here are the FAIL nails:

 It was meant to be, thumb to pinky: Snape's collar, Fleur's wedding gown, the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw aflame, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Dobby's grave.  The top represents the battle between Harry and Voldemort, displaying each wand and the spells colliding.

Thumb: China Glaze Stone Cold and Jitterbug

Index: Revlon White on White and Black Lingerie, China Glaze Smoke and Ashes, Mahogany Magic, OPI Red

Middle: China Glaze Riveting, Smoke and Ashes,  Orly Luxe

Ring: China Glaze Kinetic Candy, Electric Pineapple, GaGa for Green, Aqua Baby, Smoke and Ashes

Pinky: butterLONDON All Hail the Queen, Models Own Moody Grey, China Glaze Smoke and Ashes, Mahogany Magic, GaGa for Green

Today's post is for The Half Blood Prince.  I was so excited for this book to come out. See, when I got through The Goblet of Fire there wasn't much time in between to wait because The Order of the Phoenix was nearly out already. But after that one, it felt like ages before this one hit stores.  Perhaps that contributed to my disappointment with it.  It's not that there wasn't a TON of information in this book; there was. I'd wager almost all of it is vital to the storyline as well.  It's just that in the wake of two action packed, intense, excitement laden novels...it almost felt dull.  There is certainly a lot to take in; Snape's revelation that he is the Half Blood Prince (not Potter himself as many suspected pre-book release), and that he is, in fact, in love with Harry's mother.  The back story of Tom Riddle and his rise to power as Lord Voldemort (anyone pick up a little Anakin Skywalker syndrome on that one?).  And of course, the beginning of the role of the Horcrux.  However, save for setting up the next book there is no real movement in this novel at all...well...until the famous page 596!  The death of Professor Dumbledore.  The epic motion that singlehandedly divided the Potterheads; trust Snape or don't.  Myself I was on the trust Snape side of the fence.  My husband was not.  Nor was a majority of my family and they made that very clear anytime they had the chance.  But look who's laughing now? :P  There was also that group of people who somehow believed Dumbledore's death was a clever ruse and that he would be back--which in some ways was true, but sadly, as Dumbledore himself once said, "There is no spell which can awaken the dead."  So what's on my nails?  For the thumb I did a night sky.  I used a black polish with colored glitter which looked much cooler in real life but didn't pick up well on camera unfortunately.  It was meant to represent the Astronomy Tower where Dumbledore falls to his death. The index is a page from the potions book which Harry borrows and which is embellished with the writing of the half blood prince.  The middle is meant to be a bow tie to represent Slughorn and his Slug Club. The ring is, fittingly, the ring Dumbledore wears which turns out to be a horcrux. And on my pinky, the gold locket and the letters R.A.B.  

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Don't miss out on the final post tomorrow! The Deathly Hallows

Or visit the previous day's post:  The Order of The Phoenix

Thumb: Barry M Black Multi Gliter, Color Club Worth the Risque

Index: Essie Sand Tropez, Revlon Black Lingerie

Middle: Revlon Black Lingerie, Deborah Lippmann Almost Paradise, Orly Wandering Vine

Ring: Revlon Black Lingerie, Color Club Disco Nap, Deborah Lippmann Dancing in the Sheets

Pinky: Color Club Disco Nap, Revlon Black Lingerie

This series is moving right along isn't it?  Today's post is for book five in the Harry Potter series: The Order of the Phoenix.  Raise your hand if you didn't want to slap the bejeesus out of Harry while reading this book?  If anyone has their hand up: we are officially no longer friends. :P  Kidding, kidding.  But let's face it Harry turned into a self obsessed, obnoxious twat in this book. Or basically your average teenage boy. ;)   So much happened in this book and it was the first book to really make me cry.  I SOBBED like a baby when Arthur Weasley got bitten by that snake. Oh the suspense...that was so not cool J.K. Rowling.  Oh yeah, the movie? Glossed that RIGGHHHT over.  It was like...two seconds and done.  Then I cried again for the loss of Sirius.  More because of what he had become to Harry than for any other reason since his involvement in the novels, while important, was slim.  But this book provided TONS of information.  It led us to Kreacher, who showed us what House Elves were REALLY like for rich people, the introduction of the legacy of the Black family, and the house Harry would later inherit.  It also provided a rebel base and the beginning of what would later be a very important alliance.  And it sparked off another rebel base...right inside of Hogwarts! Dumbledore's Army.  Who didn't want to be a part of THAT secret club?!  I think the layman's term for what happened in this book is: Shit got real.  Real fast. The Ministry got involved at Hogwarts, Malfoy and Harry very decidedly chose sides, Harry got his first taste of love (and it was bittersweet), and we found out about that prophecy.  This book was action packed to say the least.  So the art?  For my thumb nail I chose to do the shadow of a phoenix rising through flames.  I felt it was fitting for the Order of the Phoenix and also because, well Dumbledore played an important role in this book. For the index I've chosen to do a wand tip with a patronus creeping out.  Harry's patronus plays a part in this book and plus, with a polish called Expecto Patronum, how could I resist? My middle finger is for Dolores Umbridge, the batty little professor from the Ministry who makes Harry's life a living hell.  The ring finger is the logo for Dumbledore's Army and to round things out, the pinky is the marble walls of the Ministry of Magic where Harry has several encounters during this book and where Sirius ultimately loses his life.  :(  Sad times...

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on book six: The Half Blood Prince

Or visit yesterday's post on: The Goblet of Fire

 

Thumb: China Glaze Electric Beat and Life Preserver, Revlon Black Lingerie, OPI The Show Must Go On

Index: Dollish Polish Expecto Patronum, Models Own Moody Grey, China Glaze Mahogany Magic

Middle: butterLONDON Teddy Girl and Queen Vic, Essence Mashed Berries, Orly Luxe

Ring: Revlon White on White, China Glaze Winter Berry

Pinky: Revlon Black Lingerie and White on White

And...book four!  The Goblet of Fire.   I actually really loved this book as well...I know, I know...but I think it started off a whole lot of new things, like the physical return of Voldemort and also his followers.  It finally threw Snape into the pot as a would be assassin for Lord Voldemort and it started to make things much more real where the threat of the Dark Lord was concerned.  I also loved the idea of the TriWizard Tournament.  I think it was so much fun to see that there are other magical schools and that they might be very different from Hogwarts.  And who can forget Hagrid's new love interest?  It was also sad in a way, of course, since Cedric dies. :(  This book also started to show us Harry's more 'teen' side since he's chasing after Cho and Ron and Hermione's relationship starts to shift more heavily into romance and away from friendship...although, the most we see here is jealousy!  Anyway I wanted to focus my nails around the tournament and the players.  My thumb represents Mad Eye Moody, who, incidentally doesn't REALLY appear in this book until the very end, despite having a large role throughout it.  The index represents Krum and the Durmstrang school.  I used a bit of flocking powder down the center to represent the furs they wear.  The middle, of course is for Hogwarts and Harry.  It's not super exciting: the Gryffindor crest.  The ring finger is for Fleur and the Beauxbatons.  It' s actually holographic since she's part Veela and I thought it was fun that it comes alive in the sun but goes sort of dull in the shade since the Veela are meant to be very beautiful but also very ugly and dangerous.  The Bauxbatons also wore a lot of silver and blue so it worked well all the way around.  And then the pinky of course is for Cedric and his house of Hufflepuff.  I hope you're all enjoying this series!

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Check in for tomorrows post on book five: The Order of the Phoenix
Or visit the previous book:  The Prisoner of Azkaban

Thumb: Essie Sand Tropez, China Glaze Foie Gras

Index: OPI Red, China Glaze Foie Gras

Middle: Color Club Disco Nap, China Glaze Winter Berry

Ring: Color Club Worth The Risque, China Glaze Electric Beat

Pinky: Color Club Almost Famous, Revlon Black Lingerie

Here it is!! My favorite book in the series: The Prisoner of Azkaban.  Why is it my favorite? Well...OK I don't know it's just the one I most enjoy reading.  I think a large part of that stems from the general attitude of the book.  This is the last book in the series before things start to get seriously sad.  Hagrid becomes a professor and does a pretty hilarious job at trying to teach the students about magical creatures!  And it also has Lupin, who turned out to be my favorite professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  I was oh so sad when he went away! But don't worry...shhh...he comes back!  Harry also got a real, actual, true family member in this book.  No, they aren't related per say but it's the first time in the series he has a magical person to lean to as a real family member and a link to his parents.  I chose to do my nails for this one based on the Marauders Map.  It was a useful tool during this book and I loved the way it came alive on screen.  Those tiny little footprints walking from room to room?  Priceless.  I want one!  Even though I had SO many ideas for designs for this book I wanted to keep it simple and stick to just one theme so I left it at just this.  I think the Marauders Map is representative of many things throughout the book. It belonged originally to Sirius, James, Professor Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. All who are important members of this book.  It was given to Harry by George and Fred, who are the kings of messing about!  Harry uses it to avoid Snape and also in conjunction with his invisibility cloak (can I get one of those too?)  to get all sorts of information which comes in handy throughout the book.  And ultimately, he gets to keep it to use for later endeavors. Mischief Managed.

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Enjoy! And check in for tomorrow's post for book four: The Goblet of Fire 
Or visit the previous book: The Chamber of Secrets

Colors used: Essie Sand Tropez , China Glaze Foie Gras and Winter Berry

It's time for book two in the Harry Potter series: The Chamber of Secrets.  For me, a large part of book two was the basilisk and the overall appearance of snake related things.  The fact that Harry learns he can speak Parseltongue, the snake in the walls, the constant battles with Malfoy and the Slytherin gang.  It's a running theme throughout the book so I wanted it to be the main focus of the nails for this one.  I also wanted to include some of the more important points in the book so for this one, i ran the basilisk through the background of my nails and then used the foreground to showcase some other points.  One of my favorite things about this book was that it sort of isolates Harry from the other characters in a very real way for the first time.  It causes him to question himself and his role as a Gryffindor.  I think the fact that he's ostracized a bit for his ability sort of makes him a bit more relatable to other kids and it also really strengthens his friendship with Ron and Hermione while at the same time solidifying for his own mind, where he stands as a person.  I also really loved Lockhart for his uncanny ability to be both arrogant and also completely incompetent.  We all know someone with Lockhart syndrome!  So for my nails I did Lockharts pixie's on the index finger.  It was the first REALLY crazy thing he did as a professor and it sticks out in my mind from both the films and the books.  I felt it represented him well!  For the middle finger I chose to do a mirror.  Hermione uses the mirror to prevent herself seeing the basilisk head on.  It's a large part of how Ron and Harry find out what's actually lurking in the walls.  It also represents Hermione's role in helping to defeat the basilisk.  In the previous book her smarts got them out of many messes on the way to the final battle but in this book she's not physically present to help them defeat the basilisk so the mirror is really the pivotal point in her assistance.  It leads them to plenty of necessary information.  The middle finger is of course, Tom Riddle's diary.  The most important physical item in the book if you ask me.  Not only does it represent Voldemort's vitality but it also helps them to uncover the secret to his immortality, which later becomes an important piece in the Harry Potter puzzle.  For the pinky I did a few camera's to represent Colin Creevy.  Colin wasn't really a MAIN character in this book but his presence was felt often and I felt he really stuck out for me as a character despite his lack of real presence in a main role.  So there you have it! Book two!  I can't wait for the next one since it ended up being my favorite in the series! (book series, not nail art series...teehee!!)

Don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Next up in the series is book three: The Prisoner of Azkaban 
Or take a look back at book one: The Sorcerer's Stone

Background all nails: butterLONDON Dosh, Orly It's Not Rocket Science, Sally Hansen Chrome Pen in Green

Thumb: Revlon Black Lingerie, LA Nail Art Pen White, China Glaze Velvet Bow

Index: China Glaze Electric Beat and First Mate

Middle: Revlon Black Lingerie, China Glaze Icicle

Ring: Essie Sand Tropez, China Glaze Velvet Bow and Foie Gras

Pinky: Barry M Silver Foil

I'm so excited to finally be doing this series!! I'm sure by now you'll recognize what it is! If you don't...it's HARRY POTTER!! I absolutely love Harry Potter.  I came about it in a rather odd way though.  See, when my brother was younger he HATED reading.  Like, legit hated it.  He refused to do it even when it was necessary so on the advice of someone, my parents bought him the Harry Potter books.  I did not read them.  Later, my whole family went to the theatre to see the film since they'd all read the books and were really excited about the films.  I did not go with them.  Cut to four weeks later and Harry Potter is the new rage, everyone has seen it and it's literally the only thing left in the dollar theatre that my friend Aubrey and I haven't seen.  So what the heck?  We go see it.  I mean, it's $1.50 how bad could it be.   I was skeptical going in but mostly because neither of us had a single clue what the movie would be about.  And we loved it.  I went home and devoured the first four books (since 5, 6, and 7 weren't out yet) and actually went to get the following three at midnight on their release days.  Yeah, I'm THAT Potterhead.  I even took the two days after the seventh book was released off from work...you know, to read the book!  At this point I have all the films and have read the books many times over, even in Spanish and the original British release versions.  It's just such a great series!  So on to the nails:

I wanted to represent some of the more important points of the first book/film on my nails for this one.  I started with a kind of shoddy version of the "HP" logo on my thumb.  The index finger represents Number Four Privet Drive, where Harry lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin until he receives...the middle nail! His letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  After he goes to school he learns about wizardry, obviously and also about the wizard sport Quidditch.  I represented the Snitch on my pinky finger since Harry is a seeker for the school Quidditch team.  The ring finger is meant to be the Sorcerer's Stone which is the main premise of the first book.  Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione set out to find the stone so that Voldemort can't find it and use it to secure immortality.  :)  Excellent books!

Check below for the colors used and don't forget to check my fellow mischief makers, Kerrie, Emma, Abby, Julie, Debbie, and Sam's pages to see their art for this series!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post for book two: The Chamber of Secrets